Ghazala Hashmi

Ghazala Hashmi served as a state senator in Virginia for two terms. In January 2026, she will assume the role of Virginia Lieutenant Governor. Notably, Hashmi is the first Muslim woman to hold a state-wide office in the United States.
Hashmi, born in 1964 in India and raised in Georgia, first completed her B.A. in english at Georgia Southern University. Following, she pursued a PhD in english from Emory University and then began a 25-year career as a professor and college administrator. In 2019, Hashmi won her campaign for the Virginia Senate and won reelection in 2023.